The other day a good friend of mine, Mayumi, owner of the Flower Shop Pepiement in Shimada City, was kind enough to drive (look at bus access below) drive me to an authentic local farmers restaurant and shop called Yamayuri/Mountain Lily up the road leading to Ikumi in the northern part of Shimada City. I already had the occasion to use this same bus twice up to its final stop and I would definitely suggest anyone to take and discover the true back country of japan with all kind of quaint sites!

The shop alone is worth the trip!
Better come early to pick the best choice of local seasonal vegetables and fruit!

And don’t miss all the home-made jams, preserves, pickles and discover the tastes of real rural Japan!

The restaurant is just left past the entrance!

Place the orders before entering the restaurant! Even you do not understand Japanese the menus are explained with pictures. Just point and pay beforehaand!

The local vegetables used in the dishes of the day!

The restaurant includes a soba classroom!
Even if you only wish to eat there taking pictures is welcome!

More pictures depicting the activities of the day inside the restaurant!

Hot soba!
Of course the soba are made afresh every day!

Cold soba!

I could not resist their gyoza!
Actually excellent and light and tasty!

Cold soba mounted with fresh hot tempura!

The tempura might look rough (don’t forget this farmer’s wife cooking!) but you can’t beat the taste of fresh local vegetables! A delicacy for vegetarians!

If you have a day off do combine the restaurant and shop with a slow trip in the midst of rural Japan!

Fukuoka, being a major harbor in the north of Kyushu Island it benefits from a plethora of fish and seafood than you can enjoy fresh in many downtown upper class izakaya.
One such place is Seimonbarai/せいもん払い in Kawabata Cho, an area replete with such establishments.

Sashimi plate for one person!

We hda the occasion to savor the food there for a simple and quick but very enjoyable dinner!
We concentrated on two of their specialties, namely sashimi and tempura!

Kishigami Soba Restaurant is located in a celebrated touristic area of Shizuoka City in Utsunoya famous for its many Edo Period houses and inns along the Old Tokaido Road.
It makes for the perfect stop for refreshments in the middle of nature!

It is not that difficult to reach actually.
Just take the bus to Fujieda City at platform 7 in front of Shizuoka JR Station north exit and get off at Utsunoya just before the Fuijieda Tunnel.
Cross the road and take the paved street on the right side snaking up the mountain and you will discover it in the middle of an Edo Travel Inn Village!

The menu is waiting for you outside!

100% buckwheat noodles!

Have a good look inside before choosing a table!

A traveling artist actually drew this picture of the restaurant during his only visit!

The spotless clean kitchen manned by two generations!

Traditional Japan!

A real wood fire stove!

All warm wood!

Although it is open only at lunch time the menu is really extensive!

The elder daughter, Ms. Kayoko Kishigami/岸上香誉子さん is very knowledgeable with sake and a seasonal brew by Sugii Brewery (Fujieda City) was on offer that day!

The Japanese sake from nearby Fujieda City!

Elegant earthenware and glassware!

My friend’s order!

Ten Oroshi Soba!

My order!

Kamo/Duck Oroshi Soba!

The sobayu/buckwheat noodles boiling water to add to the leftover soup and wash it all down!

Service: Very friendly and attentiveFacilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroomPrices: ReasonableStrong points: High quality soba. Beautiful tempura. Great local sake

Soba and Tempura are two of the most representative foods of the Japanese gastronomy but it is not easy to find a restaurant serving both separately or together with equal skill and quality.
Luckily enough, thanks to an incredible wealth of fresh products, shizuoka boasts some of the best restaurants you could find in Japan.

The other day we thought it was about grand time to visit Shimada and Setsugekka again. Actually, I wouldn’t mind visiting the establishment as they serve only seasonal tempura!
Incidentally as they take their holidays in Hawaii every year they can manage English!

WE always inside the little cozy room by the entrance with a window onto the street!

I ordered the menu with three different soba, all 100% buckwheat.

The soba tofu which comes with the first drink! A real delicacy!

The tray as it is served before the tempura are brought to you one at a time!

The salt!

The grated daikon!

The chopped scallions and grated wasabi for the soba!

Stick senior broccoli and hard mouth sardines tempura!

The fish is also called “shirasu”!

The slender stick senior broccoli!

A beautiful tempura assortment!

Sakura cherry blossoms, cuttlefish and spring onion!

Brussels Sprout and Fukinoto tempura!

Paprika and cauliflower tempura!

Cold yuzu soba!

“Dark” soba!

Plain soba!

The sobayu/soba boiling water to add to the rest of the soba sauce as a soup!

Service: Very friendly, smiling and attentiveFacilities & Equipment: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroomPrices: Moderate to expensive, but extremely good valueStrong points: Authentic traditional tempura gastronomy at its best with superlative products, a lot them local. Superlative attention and explanations!

There are not many great tempura restaurants in Shizuoka Prefecture in spite of the abundance of superlative ingredients be they from the land and the sea.
But at least the best in the Prefecture, namely Narusei, would be on par with the best establishments in Tokyo and Kyoto!

Chef Takeo Shimura/志村剛生 originally hails from neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture and moved to Shizuoka City 10 years ago.

five years he finally opened Narusei in Takajo, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City and has never looked back since then!

The restaurant seating only 7 guests at a wide counter in front of the Chef is a model of traditional Japan all of warm wood and of incredible cleanliness enhanced by the fact that smoking is completely prohibited!

The fresh vegetables of the day!

Chef Shimura and his lady apprentice take care of the food while Mrs. Shimura look after the customers in a very efficient, unobtrusive and ever-smiling manner!

Chef Shimura uses a traditional but extravagant mixture of 90% sesame oil and 10 % cotton seed oil in two different pots at different temperature!

A great attention is taken for the smallest detail.
Pot of tsuyu/soupstock to dip your tempura in!

Great local sake served in earthenware!

Takeo Shimura at work!

I was so impressed with the earthenware that I forgot to take a close picture of the Makogarei/Turbot sashimi!

Crystal salt!

Two kinds of salt, finely chopped dry myoga ginger and freshly grated daikon to use at your discretion and to be replaced if used!

And also freshly pressed lemon juice!
Alright, what did I have for dinner, then?